


Nonmagically

by IntrovertedRavenclaw



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Caring Alec Lightwood, Caring Magnus Bane, M/M, Post 3x10, Sick Alec Lightwood, Sick Magnus Bane, Sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-10
Updated: 2019-03-10
Packaged: 2019-11-14 16:37:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18056165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IntrovertedRavenclaw/pseuds/IntrovertedRavenclaw
Summary: Apparently, it's a lot easier to take care of sick people when Magnus has magic. And apparently, not having magic means that Magnus can get sick too.





	Nonmagically

**Author's Note:**

> I started this months ago but just now finished haha. Enjoy 2k words of pure Malec fluff.

Normally, it's easy. The few times that Alec has come down with a bit of a sniffle in the past, Magnus has soothing tea brewing with one flick of his hand and some of Alec's symptoms relieved with a flick of the other hand. Normally, Magnus is the ultimate caretaker; he can summon anything and everything that a sick person might need in a millisecond. He can brew potions to fix a wide variety of ailments. He can cast enchantments on blankets to keep his feverish love from shivering. 

At least, he could when he still had his magic. 

It has been getting easier, learning to live without magic, but Magnus can't help but feel completely powerless when Alec wakes up with a fever and a plethora of other cold symptoms that leave him unable to go to the Institute that day. 

"You definitely have a cold," Magnus remarks, his hand resting against Alec's forehead. "Probably a fever too, but I can't tell how high it is. What are your other symptoms? Other than the congestion and cough, I mean." 

"Just tired mostly," Alec admits. "But I do have a headache and a sore throat."

Magnus wants to make him a potion. The magic and herbs could take away a headache and a sore throat in an instant, but that's not an option right now so Magnus kisses Alec's forehead, advises him to get some rest, and goes off to call Jace. 

"Alec's sick?" Jace asks, as soon as he picks up.

"How'd you know?" Magnus says.

"We're parabatai," Jace acts as if that explains everything. "I know he feels awful because I feel off. Is he okay?"

"Just a bad cold but..." Magnus pauses. "I can't fix it."

Jace seems to understand. "I'll put Izzy in charge of the Institute. Clary and I will be over with some mundane medicine and anything else he might need in an hour or so."

Magnus is reluctant to admit that the reckless blond shadowhunter is a lifesaver. He goes back to Alec, who has cocooned himself in all of the blankets on the bed. 

"Jace is coming with some medicine," Magnus says. "Anything you need in the meantime?"

Alec coughs. "Lay with me?"

"Of course," Magnus climbs into the bed and Alec is immediately cuddling up next to him, still wrapped in all of the blankets. 

"Can you get sick from me?" Alec asks. "You know, since you don't have magic?" 

"I don't know," Magnus admits. "I don't care, I'd rather take the opportunity; you're never this cuddly and I have to say, I rather enjoy it."

Alec coughs again, smiling a little. Magnus counts that as a victory. 

Jace and Clary show up less than an hour later, and Magnus has to get up to answer the door for them, which wakes up Alec, who had just fallen asleep on top of him. Alec gets out of bed for the first time that morning and moves to the couch. 

"How are you feeling?" Clary asks, taking a seat on the chaise chair across from the couch. Jace chooses to sit right next to Alec, who rests his head on his parabatai's shoulder. 

"Sick," Alec answers, coughing. 

"I told you, you were getting sick," Jace remarks. "You've had that cough for a few days."

Magnus feels a pang of guilt in his chest. Alec's been coughing for _days_ apparently, and Magnus had been so preoccupied with his own sorrows that he had failed to notice anything was amiss until this morning. 

"And by the angel, your head is hot." Jace continues. "No wonder _I've_ felt off, you look awful."

"We brought supplies," Clary holds up a plastic shopping bag. "Mundane cold medicine, soup, tissues... the whole nine yards."

"Thank you," Alec smiles weakly. He sneezes and Clary opens up a box of tissues, which she tosses to Jace. 

Magnus meets Clary's eyes and she gets up from her chair, pulling Magnus aside into the other room, out of Alec and Jace's earshot.

"Are you okay?" She asks. 

"Why wouldn't I be?" Magnus replies quickly, trying not to think about the fact that they're standing in the area where he used to make all of his potions. Magical ingredients still fill the shelves. Magnus doesn't know what he'll do with them now, but he can't bear to clean it all out. 

Clary fixes him with a knowing look. "It's got to be hard... before you could just-" she gives a dramatic gesture with her hands. "and he would be feeling better, right? But now..."

"I feel so powerless," Magnus sighs. "I can't do anything to make Alec feel even a little better."

"I think Alec doesn't need any fancy magic or potions," Clary tells him softly. "I brought some mundane cold medicine— it works, trust me— that'll make the symptoms less miserable."

Magnus nods, and Clary continues. "With Jace, he usually doesn't even want medicine anyway. He just wants someone there so that he can lament about how miserable he is." They both laugh. "Just be there for Alec, you don't have to heal him magically."

"The mundane cold medicine really works?" Magnus asks doubtfully.

"DayQuil is basically magical in itself," Clary jokes.

"Thank you, Biscuit." Magnus ruffles her hair, then makes his way to the kitchen, where he pours a glass of water before going to the living room and handing said glass to Alec. "Drink that, fluids are good when you're sick."

He reaches into the plastic bag and finds a box labeled _Severe Cold and Flu Relief_. Handing a pack of two pills to Alec, Magnus reads off the instructions. "Take two every four hours."

Alec sits up and swallows both pills with a gulp of water before curling up against his parabatai once more. 

"We really should get back," Clary says. "Text if you need anything."

"You gonna be okay?" Jace asks, patting Alec's shoulder. 

"Yeah, yeah." Alec coughs, sitting up once more. "Keep the Institute from going up in flames for me, please?"

"Yeah, no promises." Jace laughs. "Feel better."

After Jace and Clary leave, Magnus places his hand on Alec's forehead. 

"You still feel warm." Magnus frowns. He rummages through the bag and is relieved to discover that Clary and Jace had thought to bring a thermometer. "Here, let's take your temperature."

Alec takes the thermometer and places it under his tongue. He looks absolutely miserable, Magnus notes, with his eyes watery, cheeks flushed, and ridiculous bedhead. 

"101.1," Alec sniffles, reading off the thermometer. 

"That's high," Magnus remarks. He pauses, taking in his boyfriend's gloomy expression. "What's wrong?"

Alec shrugs, flopping back into a sprawled out position on the couch. "Don't feel good." 

"Want to go back to bed to sleep?" Magnus asks.

"Actually, can you just grab me a blanket?" Alec asks. 

Magnus nods, making his way to the linen closet and, unable to decide on just one blanket, brings three back to the couch. Alec doesn't argue when Magnus starts piling blankets onto him. He also doesn't argue when Magnus takes a seat next to him on the couch, pulling him closer to rest against his shoulder.

Magnus kisses Alec briefly, the kiss cut short by Alec ducking his head to sneeze. Magnus chuckles as his boyfriend scrambles for a tissue to blow his nose.

Alec spends the rest of the day on the couch, sleeping and going through what seems like hundreds of tissues. It takes the rest of the next day for Alec to be feeling somewhat back to himself, and by then Magnus is laid low in bed, aching and stuffed up.

"You probably should've kept your distance," Alec chuckles, running a hand over Magnus' forehead. "You definitely have my cold."

Magnus groans. His head is pounding, his sinuses overflowing with mucus, and his throat is sore and swollen. "This is it. I'm dying."

"You're not dying," Alec says, handing Magnus a glass of water and two pills. "The mundane stuff helps."

Magnus swallows both pills begrudgingly with a gulp of water. "I should've remembered."

"What?" Alec asks. 

"I've never gotten sick from you before because my magic kept me resistant to most strains of mundane illnesses," Magnus explains. "Guess I should've thought of that before I kissed you."

"You've had a cold before though, right?"

"I have. Some viruses can slip through the cracks, but usually-" Magnus sneezes suddenly, and Alec reaches for the box of tissues— which is almost empty— to hand him one. Magnus blows his nose and wants to cringe at how disgusting being sick is. 

Alec gives him a small, sympathetic smile and tucks the bed's comforter around Magnus. "You can rest here, or on the couch, if you're sick of being in bed."

"I think I'll stay in bed for a bit," Magnus coughs. "I should probably try to sleep."

Alec kisses his forehead, and Magnus melts a little at the gesture.

"You're hot." Alec frowns.

"Why, thank you, Alexander. You're not bad-looking yourself."

Alec rolls his eyes. "You know what I mean. You have a fever." He pauses, regarding Magnus for a second, coughing lightly. "I'll run out and get you some more medicine. Will you be okay?"

Magnus nods, letting his eyes drop closed. Alec kisses his head one more time before he drifts off. He wakes up sometime later to a cold hand on his forehead. 

"Alexander," Magnus groans. "Cold."

"Sorry," Alec says softly, removing his hand. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Magnus lies, sitting up. He coughs.

"You feeling any better?" Alec starts taking things out of a plastic drugstore bag. "I got more Dayquil and Nyquil, tissues, orange juice, soup, cough drops, some cough syrup, too."

"I don't feel as bad as I did before," Magnus answers. He sneezes and Alec tears open the box of tissues and hands one to Magnus. Alec then hands him a bottle of orange juice.

"Vitamin C," Alec says. "My siblings all swear by orange juice when they're sick. I don't know if it actually works, but it can't hurt."

"Thank you, Alexander," Magnus says. He's surprised and touched, and even more so when Alec kicks off his shoes and climbs into bed beside him, letting Magnus rest against his chest. 

"I can't believe colds are this miserable," Magnus remarks.

Alec nods. "I felt so awful when I was sick, I bet you're feeling terrible."

"You're still sick," Magnus points out. 

"I'm feeling better." Alec coughs. 

"You have a cough," Magnus says pointedly. "You should rest."

"And you have a fever and probably a lot of other symptoms that you're not telling me about," Alec responds. "I know how miserable you are. I had the same cold, and you took care of me, so I want to take care of you now."

Magnus sighs, placing his head on Alec's chest again and curling up. "What are you reading?"

"Oh, just some shadowhunter histories."

"Will you read aloud? I could use a distraction from the illness." Magnus asks.

"It's pretty boring," Alec chuckles. "But sure."

Magnus falls asleep after only a few minutes; for all of their heroism, shadowhunters do not try to make their histories interesting in the slightest. 

He wakes up sometime later and Alec is no longer beside him in bed, so he gets up and wanders into the kitchen. Alec is stirring something in a pot, and looks up when Magnus comes in.

"Hey, you're up." Alec grins. "How are you feeling?"

"Better than before, I think," Magnus says, disgruntled that his voice is nothing more than a croak. "Still sick."

Alec smiles sympathetically. "You'll be sick for a few days, probably."

"How do mundanes deal with this?" Magnus laments. "How do you deal with this when you get colds?"

"It's not fun," Alec agrees. "I made some soup, are you hungry?"

"Not sure I trust your cooking." Magnus jokes.

"Oh, shut up. It's from a can." Alec replies, ladling some into a bowl. "Go back to bed, I'll get you anything you need."

"You are so wonderful."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments/kudos are much appreciated. Let me know your thoughts. :)


End file.
